DETROIT – Dave Dombrowski's days should be numbered in Detroit.
When the Tigers don't make the playoffs for the first time in five years -- and with the way they are playing right now, it's hard to imagine that they will regroup in the second-half and make the postseason for a fifth straight season -- Dombrowski, the Tigers' president and general manager, should be toast.
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Owner Mike Ilitch should say 14 years is enough and not re-sign Dombrowski.
Currently, the two sides haven't been able to come to terms on a new deal, according to a report from Fox Sports.com. Hence, Dombrowksi is basically a lame duck GM.
Ilitch shouldn't just dump Dombrowski because of a lousy 2015 season. Ilitch should sack Dombrowski because, ultimately, he didn't get the job done.
The goal was simple: win a World Series for Ilitch.
Ilitch, the former Tigers' minor-leaguer, wanted to win desperately -- both for himself and this city, too.
The Tigers -- who last won it all in 1984 -- were supposed to win this time.
Ilitch turned over his franchise, and checkbook, for that matter to Dombrowski.
And Dombrowski spent and spent and spent. This season, the Tigers have the third-highest payroll in MLB at $170 million.
Instead of a legit shot to get to the Fall Classic and win in 2015, the Tigers are bad, real bad.
At the All-Star break, Dombrowski's Tigers are 44-44 and trending down, not up, after losing the final three games of an important four-game series against the Twins in Minnesota.
For many fans, this weekend was a realization that their team, Ilitch's team, isn't going anywhere this season.
It's a bitter pill to swallow.
This incredible run of Tigers' baseball wasn't supposed to end empty-handed. There was supposed to be a trophy, a parade down Woodward like never seen before.
Instead, 2015 has been wildly inconsistent.
The Tigers' offense scored two runs or less in 27 of their first 56 games. The Tigers' pitching is even worse, ranking next-to-last in team ERA in the American League.
There's just one man to blame: Dombrowski.
Sadly, he's failed to fix a bullpen that has been broken for many years.
Yes, Dombrowski gets some of the blame if he gets players that don't pan out like Joe Nathan and Joba Chamberlain.
If those players performed and worked out, Dombrowski would get credit for pulling the right trigger and getting the right personnel.
Before the Tigers 7-1 loss to the Twins on Sunday, Dombrowski said all the stuff you expected him to say, mainly that his team has played hard and still has a shot at the postseason.
"We have been inconsistent through the first half," he said in an interview with Fox Sports Detroit. "We haven't really been on a roll since the beginning of the season. Not particularly pleased with where we are, but we're also in a position where, if we play to our capabilities in the second half, we have a chance to win still."
Sounds good, but not close to reality. This team is really flawed. Dombrowski has to get the blame for it.
The same goes for 2014. The Baltimore Orioles swept the Tigers in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
There are plenty of reasons the Tigers didn't advance to the ALCS. Most pointed to the rancid bullpen. Others blasted the inconsistent hitting.
That sounds like the 2015 team, too.
Last year, many fans also pointed to then-rookie manager Brad Ausmus, who hardly looked ready for primetime in his first season.
Plain and simple, Dombrowski swung and missed last season, too. He made a lot of moves and most simply didn't work out.
Dombrowski's season was an epic fail, almost from the beginning when he decided to change a team that in 2014 went to the ALCS and lost to the Boston Red Sox in six games.
First, Dombrowski dumped Prince Fielder and most fans were happy. But Fielder's bat was missed in the lineup whether people want to admit it or not.
Fans were mad at Fielder for getting no home runs or RBI in the playoffs.
Two Decembers ago, Dombrowski gave away starting pitcher Doug Fister. He went 16-6 for the Washington Nationals in his first season in DC.
Dombrowski teams are simply too top-heavy. They have stars in Miguel Cabrera, David Price and Justin Verlander, but the rest of the roster is usually weak and ultimately hurts the team's depth if someone is injured.
For sure, Dombrowski has elevated this sad-sack franchise to a contender since he got here in 2002.
But you can't live in the past. The Tigers' run is over. If Ilitch is smart, Dombrowski's run at the helm should be over, too.